Travel Guides from Phaidon

by Calvin Reid -- Publishers Weekly, 9/11/2006

Phaidon, the cutting edge U.K. art book publisher, has teamed with the equally edgy design and lifestyle publication Wallpaper* to produce the Wallpaper* City Guides, a series of elegant travel guides targeting art and design-conscious travelers. Phaidon is releasing 20 titles in the fall, among them guides to Mexico City, New York and Tokyo. Forty guides are planned for 2007.

It's Phaidon's first venture into the travel category, said Phaidon publisher Richard Schlagman during a phone interview from London. "We've been thinking about travel for a while," he said. "Publishing with Wallpaper* is the perfect match. We're both aiming at the same consumer: someone discerning about design lifestyle culture."

The slim, pocket-sized, 4"×6" guides are priced at $8.95 each and cover a selective range of topics. "Most travel guides are 400 pages and try to cover everything and appeal to everyone," said Schlagman. "Our guides are targeted. They cover 11 topics—pointing out, say, a handful of standout hotels, or cutting-edge or classic architecture." And instead of gaudy photos of local landmarks, each guide's cover sports a simple flat color. Said Schlagman, "They're discreet guides for the tourist who doesn't want to look like one." The guides will be updated with new information every year.

Wallpaper* approached Phaidon about the venture and handled design and production. Phaidon will oversee distribution, marketing and promotion.